Transportable bulk container with slide gate dispenser

ABSTRACT

A transportable bulk container having a discharge chute and a sliding gate assembly to control discharge through the discharge chute, wherein the sliding gate assembly has a gate member with generally J-shaped suspension members, the suspension members being supported by generally L-shaped rail flanges mounted on the discharge chute above and separated from the lower end of the discharge chute, such that bulk material does not interfere with the sliding movement of the gate member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of containers fortransporting, storing and dispensing large quantities of dry bulkmaterial, such as grain, sand, abrasive particles, shot, etc., and moreparticularly relates to bulk containers that are relatively large andmounted on pallets or similar forklift tine-receiving structures, wherethe containers are provided with bottom mounted dispensers such that thecontents are dispensed by gravity.

Transportable bulk material containers are well-known, and oftencomprise large bins, hoppers, drums or the like mounted onto pallets orpallet-like structures having structures into which the tines of aforklift or hand truck can be inserted in order to move the container.The containers are provided with gated openings at the bottom, such thatthe bulk material can be dispensed in a controlled manner by opening andclosing the gate. Examples of bulk containers are seen in U.S. Pat. No.1,594,204 to Kingham, U.S. Pat. No. 2,523,981 to Wittliff, Jr., U.S.Pat. No. 3,083,879 to Coleman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,473 to Jones et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,971 to Oehler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,395 to McClaren,U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,005 to Stevens, U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,784 to Labelle,U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,653 to Daloisio, U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,717 to Wrightet al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,966 to Waltke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,605 toWise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,182 to Copas et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,531,360 toBerdel et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,535 to Coleman. Many of thesebulk containers utilize slide gates mounted onto rail members, whereby agenerally horizontally disposed plate member is positioned beneath andin contact with the discharge opening in the main body of the container,mounted in such a manner whereby the plate member can be moved laterallyto no longer block a portion or all of the discharge opening.

A problem with these known bulk containers having slide gates is thatthe gates are typically structured in a manner that allows strayparticles of the bulk material to interfere with the sliding movement ofthe gate, sometimes to the point of causing the gate to bind in eitherthe open or closed position. For example, the slide gates in U.S. Pat.No. 1,594,204 to Kingham and U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,473 to Jones et al.have structures wherein bulk material can slide laterally across theupper surface of the horizontal gate plate to fall into the lateral railchannels, thereby causing problems with movement of the gate plate.

It is an object of this invention to provide a bulk container slide gatethat is structured to prevent or minimize interference to the slide gateoperation due to bulk material sliding or spilling across the uppersurface of the slide gate plate and falling into the rail channels orslots.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The transportable bulk container is a means for retaining a relativelylarge quantity of dry bulk material, such as for example grain, sand,abrasive particles, shot or the like, and the bulk container comprises ahopper or bin, such as a drum or barrel, having a bottom discharge chutethrough which the bulk material is dispensed by gravity flow. The bulkcontainer further comprises a pallet or pallet-like structure onto whichthe hopper is mounted, such that the bulk container can be lifted andmoved using forklifts, hand trucks or the like. A slide gate assembly isprovided beneath the discharge chute to control the dispensing of thebulk material.

The slide gate assembly comprises a generally horizontally disposed,generally rectangular, plate-like gate member having a gate opening andan occluding portion, such that when the occluding portion is positionedbeneath and abutting the discharge chute flow of bulk material isblocked, and when the gate opening is positioned beneath the dischargechute the bulk material is dispensed. A handle is connected to the gatemember in order to slide the gate member between the open and closedposition. Front and rear stop members are provided to limit movement ofthe slide gate in the direction of operation. A pair of parallelJ-shaped suspension members are connected to the gate member, thesuspension members extending upward from the gate member and positionedso as to reside to each side of the discharge chute. A pair of parallelL-shaped upstanding rail flange members are attached to the dischargechute a short distance above the bottom of the discharge chute, the railflange members each defining a rail channel to receive the free end ofthe hook portion of the suspension member, with the hook portion of thesuspension member riding on the upper edge of the rail flange member. Inthis manner, the sliding gate member can be translated from the closedto open to closed position by pulling and pushing, with the travelaccomplished by the combination of the rail flange members and theJ-shaped suspension members that defines a glide assembly. Because theglide assembly is positioned well above the upper surface of the gatemember and the bottom of the discharge chute, bulk material is precludedfrom entering into the rail channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the transportable bulkcontainer, partially exposed to show the interior structure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the slide gate assembly, shown inthe open position relative to the discharge chute.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the slide gate assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described indetail with regard for the best mode and preferred embodiment. Ingeneral, the invention is a transportable bulk container having a slidegate mechanism for release of the bulk material from the bottom of thehopper, the bulk container being structured so that it can be lifted andmoved by a forklift, hand truck or similar device.

A representative embodiment of the transportable bulk container 10 isshown in FIG. 1, wherein the bulk container 10 comprises a relativelylarge hopper, bin or like receptacle member 11, shown here in the shapeof a barrel or drum, although other shapes such as for examplerectangular may be utilized. The hopper 11 is mounted onto a pallet orpallet-like member 12, the pallet member 12 comprising a pair oftine-receiving members 13 to receive the tines of a forklift, hand truckor the like, thereby enabling movement of the heavy bulk container 10.Preferably, the hopper 11 is provided with a sloping or funnel-likebottom 14 to facilitate flow of the particulate bulk material. Adischarge chute 15 is mounted to the bottom of the hopper 11 with thelower end 16 of the discharge chute 15 being disposed in a plane. Suchbulk containers are well known in the art.

A slide gate assembly 20 is positioned beneath the discharge chute 15 tocontrol release of the bulk material from the hopper 11. The slide gateassembly 20, shown in isolation in FIG. 3, comprises a gate member 21, apair of suspension members 25 extending above the upper surface of thegate member 21, and preferably a handle member 24. The gate member 21 isa generally rectangular member having a planar upper surfacehorizontally positioned abutting the lower end 16 of the discharge chute15, as seen in FIG. 2. The gate member 21 comprises a gate opening 22that is aligned with the discharge chute 15 to allow passage of the bulkmaterial and an occluding portion 23, i.e., a non-apertured portion,adjacent the gate opening 22 that when properly positioned beneath thedischarge chute 15 blocks passage of bulk material through the dischargechute 15. A rear stop member 28 and a front stop member 29 are providedto limit travel of the gate member 21, with the rear stop member 28being positioned such that when the slide gate member 21 is pulledforward it abuts the discharge chute 15 when the gate opening 22 isbeneath the discharge chute 15, and with the front stop member 29 beingpositioned such that when the gate member 21 is pushed to the rear itabuts the front of the pallet 12 such that the occluding portion 23 islocated beneath the discharge chute 15. Alternative constructions forthe travel limiting means may also be utilized.

A pair of elongated suspension members 25, generally J-shaped incross-section, are connected to the gate member 21 so as to extendupwardly from the gate member 21. The suspension members 25 arepositioned in parallel manner longitudinally along the gate member 21,and separated a sufficient distance such that the suspension members 25are located on opposite sides of the discharge chute 15 with thedischarge chute 15 fitting in between. The suspension members 25comprise an elongated, vertically oriented leg portion 32 and adownwardly-directed upper hook portion 31. The hook portions 31 of theopposing suspension members 25 face each other in the embodiment shownin the figures, although a reverse orientation is also possible if therail flange members 26 are mounted from the pallet 12 rather than fromthe discharge chute 15. Likewise, the hook portions 31 are shown asplanar members joined at right angles, but it would be possible toprovide the hook portion 31 as curved, for example.

An elongated rail flange member 26 is mounted to either side of thedischarge chute 15, either directly to the discharge chute 15 orsuspended from beneath the pallet member 12. The rail flange members 26are mounted in parallel and correspond in spacing and orientation to thehook portions 31 of the suspension members 25. The rail flange members26 are preferably mounted to the discharge chute 15 a short distanceabove and separated from the lower end 16 of the discharge chute 15,such that a portion of the discharge chute 15 extends beneath the railflange members 26. The rail flange member 26 extending away from thedischarge chute 15 is generally L-shaped in cross-section with agenerally horizontal base portion 33 and an upwardly extending supportwall member 34 defining a rail channel 27 to receive the free edge ofthe hook portion 31 of the J-shaped suspension members 25. The free edgeof the hook portion 31 is sized so as to be shorter than the upwardfacing support wall 34 of the rail flange member 26 so that thesuspension members 25 and the rail flange members 26 in combinationdefine a glide assembly with the hook portions 31 resting on the upperedges of the upwardly extending support walls 34 of the rail flangemembers 26. With this structure, any foreign debris that might impairthe sliding movement of the suspension members 25 relative to the railflange members 26 will readily fall away from the contact region, eitherinto the bottom of the rail channel 27 or onto the gate member 21. Moreimportantly, because the glide assembly comprising the hook portions 31of the suspension members 25 and the rail flange members 26 is locatedwell above the upper surface of the gate member 21 and the lower end 16of the discharge chute 15, no bulk material can be inadvertently trappedwithin the glide assembly to impair the sliding motion of the slide gateassembly 20, thereby insuring smooth operation of the device.

The contacting portions of the suspension members 25 and rail flangemembers 26 may be provided with low-friction lubricants, coatings ormembers, such as for example TEFLON brand strips, to make translation ofthe gate member relative to the discharge chute easier.

It is understood that equivalents and substitutions for certain elementsset forth descriptively above may be obvious to those of ordinary skillin the art, and therefore the true definition and scope of the inventionis to be as set forth in the following claims.

1. A transportable bulk container comprising: a hopper mounted on apallet; a discharge chute beneath said hopper, said discharge chutehaving a lower end; a slide gate assembly mounted beneath said dischargechute, said slide gate assembly comprising a gate member having a gateopening and an occluded portion, said gate member abutting said lowerend of said discharge chute, whereby with said gate opening positionedbeneath said discharge chute bulk material is free to flow from saidhopper and said discharge chute through said gate opening, and wherebywith said occluding portion positioned beneath said discharge chute bulkmaterial is prevented from flowing from said hopper and said dischargechute; said slide gate assembly further comprising a pair of elongatedsuspension members, J-shaped in cross-section, extending upwardly fromsaid gate member and positioned on opposite sides of said dischargechute, said suspension members mounted in parallel on said gate memberand each comprising an elongated leg portion and a downwardly-directedhook portion; and a pair of elongated rail flange members, L-shaped incross-section, positioned in parallel manner on opposite sides of saiddischarge chute, each said rail flange member comprising a upwardlyextending wall defining a rail channel, whereby said hook portions ofsaid suspension members rest on said upwardly extending walls of saidrail flange members, such that said gate member is translatable relativeto said discharge chute to align either said gate opening or saidoccluding portion with said discharge chute.
 2. The bulk container ofclaim 1, wherein said rail flange members are mounted to said dischargechute.
 3. The bulk container of claim 2, wherein said rail flangemembers are mounted above and separated from said lower end of saiddischarge chute.
 4. The bulk container of claim 1, wherein each saidrail flange wall is shorter than each said suspension member legportion.
 5. The bulk container of claim 2, wherein each said rail flangewall is shorter than each said suspension member leg portion.
 6. Thebulk container of claim 3, wherein each said rail flange wall is shorterthan each said suspension member leg portion.
 7. The bulk container ofclaim 1, said slide gate assembly further comprising a front stop memberand a rear stop member to limit travel of said gate member.
 8. The bulkcontainer of claim 7, wherein said rear stop member is mounted on saidgate member such that said rear stop member abuts said discharge chutewhen said gate opening is aligned with said discharge chute, and whereinsaid front stop member is mounted on said handle such that said frontstop member abuts said pallet when said occluding portion is alignedwith said discharge chute.
 9. A transportable bulk container comprising:a hopper mounted on a pallet; a discharge chute beneath said hopper,said discharge chute having a lower end; a slide gate assembly mountedbeneath said discharge chute, said slide gate assembly comprising a gatemember having a gate opening and an occluded portion, said gate memberabutting said lower end of said discharge chute, whereby with said gateopening positioned beneath said discharge chute bulk material is free toflow from said hopper and said discharge chute through said gateopening, and whereby with said occluding portion positioned beneath saiddischarge chute bulk material is prevented from flowing from said hopperand said discharge chute; said slide gate assembly further comprising afront stop member and a rear stop member to limit travel of said gatemember, wherein said rear stop member is mounted on said gate membersuch that said rear stop member abuts said discharge chute when saidgate opening is aligned with said discharge chute, and wherein saidfront stop member is mounted on said handle such that said front stopmember abuts said pallet when said occluding portion is aligned withsaid discharge chute; said slide gate assembly further comprising a pairof elongated suspension members, J-shaped in cross-section, extendingupwardly from said gate member and positioned on opposite sides of saiddischarge chute, said suspension members mounted in parallel on saidgate member and each comprising an elongated leg portion and a hookportion; and a pair of elongated rail flange members, L-shaped incross-section, mounted in parallel manner onto opposite sides of saiddischarge chute above and separated from said lower end, each said railflange member comprising a upwardly extending wall defining a railchannel, wherein each said rail flange wall is shorter than each saidsuspension member leg portion, whereby said hook portions of saidsuspension members rest on said upwardly extending walls of said railflange members, such that said gate member is translatable relative tosaid discharge chute to align said gate opening or said occludingportion with said discharge chute.